Chicago Bulls Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Curry, Bulls, Richardson, Grizzlies

October 31st, 2012 at 1:36pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite indications this morning that the Nets/Knicks opener in Brooklyn tomorrow would proceed as planned, the game will be postponed due to the effects of Hurricane Sandy, tweets Greg Anthony of CBS Sports and NBA TV. It's not clear yet whether the Knicks' Friday game at Madison Square Garden or the Nets' Saturday game in Brooklyn will be played. For now, however, it seems the debut of the Barclays Center will have to wait as the city continues to recover.

Here are a few more notes from around the league:

Prior to reaching an agreement on a contract extension for Stephen Curry today, the Warriors and Curry had been discussing a deal with an annual salary ranging from $8.5-10MM, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Golden State upped its offer following Ty Lawson's four-year, $48MM deal with the Nuggets.
The Bulls are monitoring the free agent market in anticipation of being able to add a minimum-salary contract later in November, says Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com. Quentin Richardson is one player under consideration, according to Sam.
The fact that the Bulls haven't been able to pair a second star with Derrick Rose yet hasn't been due to lack of trying, executive VP of basketball operations John Paxson said on ESPN 1000 Chicago (link via ESPNChicago.com).
The Grizzlies never considered undergoing what GM Chris Wallace calls a "voluntary rebuild" this summer, writes Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
One of the main lessons Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert learned from the LeBron James saga was not to let a star player leave in unrestricted free agency without getting anything back for him, according to an Associated Press report.

Odds & Ends: Curry, Gibson, Warriors, Thabeet

October 30th, 2012 at 10:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Stephen Curry didn't want extension talks to go down to the wire, but it appears that's the case, as Curry's comments to Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle lead Simmons to conclude that agent Jeff Austin and Warriors GM Bob Myers continue to try to work out a deal (Sulia link). Since Curry left a preseason game after tweaking his ankle ten days ago, we've heard multiple reports suggesting a deal was unlikely. Nothing's final until tomorrow's 11:00pm Central time deadline, and with about 24 hours to go, there's news on another extension-eligible player among notes from the first night of the 2012/13 regular season.

There's "growing speculation" the Bulls will let the deadline pass without signing Taj Gibson to an extension, reports Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Andrew Bogut believes "a lot is riding on this year" for the Warriors, and Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group says much of that is riding on Bogut's shoulders. Fellow Bay Area News Group scribe Monte Poole goes the other way, suggesting Curry is the focal point of the team.
Thunder coach Scott Brooks has confidence in Hasheem Thabeet, and his performance in the preseason was one reason the team included Cole Aldrich in the trade, as John Rohde of The Oklahoman chronicles.
The Bobcats are counting on offseason trade acquisition Ben Gordon to be their go-to scorer at the end of games, writes Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer.
With a year still to go before his five-year max extension kicks in, the Clippers want to make sure Blake Griffin stays healthy for the long haul by incorporating more mid-range shooting into his arsenal, as Elliott Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News examines.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban reportedly had to be talked into waiving Delonte West, and Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com notes the affection he has for the troubled guard (Twitter link).
The James Harden trade has the Rockets thinking playoffs, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle documents.

Eastern Notes: Raptors, Wizards, Harkless

October 30th, 2012 at 9:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

Hurricane Sandy hit the Northeast hard, but it won't postpone Thursday's clash between the Knicks and Nets in Brooklyn, as had been feared. That's just one of many intriguing openers this week, including the Celtics' visit to Miami, where the Heat were presented with their championship rings. As the NBA tips off, we'll share some Eastern Conference news to go along with our update from the West earlier this evening.

Raptors president and GM Bryan Colangelo admitted it's been difficult not to try to speed up his team's rebuilding process, as he tells Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun. "We passed on multiple opportunities to bring in players via transactions that would have thwarted our efforts," Colangelo said. "At times, it was tempting. But we had to stick to the plan. There has had to be a patience and strategy to every decision we’ve made. The deals we could have made were more of a tonic than a long-term solution."
Colangelo also shared his feelings about rookie Jonas Valanciunas, saying, "It’s become apparent that in order for us (to get better) Jonas needs to be thrown into the fire. The sooner he develops into a nightly contributor, the sooner we get closer to our goal.”
Wizards coach Randy Wittman said injuries to John Wall and Nene Hilario influenced the team's decision to keep Jannero Pargo and Earl Barron over Shelvin Mack and Brian Cook, reports Michael Lee of The Washington Post.
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel believes the Magic should give rookie Maurice Harkless significant playing time this season so they can figure out whether the 19-year-old small forward is a building block for the future.
A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com notes via Twitter that every player in the three-team trade that brought Courtney Lee to the Celtics has been waived except Lee and Sasha Pavlovic, whose presence on the Blazers roster is helped along by the fact the Celtics are paying his salary.
Carlos Boozer's five-year, $75MM contract obscures the valuable production he brings to the Bulls, argues Scoop Jackson of ESPN.com.
Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer saw lots of positives about the Cavs' youth movement in the team's opening-night win against the Wizards.

Central Rumors: Jennings, Bulls, Gibson, Pacers

October 30th, 2012 at 6:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

The 2012/13 season is now under way, as the Cavaliers and Wizards have tipped off in Cleveland. Even as we celebrate the start of a new season, there are a few offseason matters still to be resolved, with decisions on rookie-scale extensions chief among them. There's news on a couple of Central Division players up for those extensions this evening, along with other a few other notes of interest.

Knowing other teams can't backload an offer to Taj Gibson in restricted free agency the same way the Rockets did with Omer Asik this past summer, the Bulls are holding firm on their four-year extension offer of $30-32MM to Gibson, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports. Still, the two sides have made progress in talks that Gibson characterized as positive, Johnson adds.

Earlier updates:

The odds of an extension for Brandon Jennings are "more none than slim," according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (Twitter link). Last we heard, Jennings was reportedly seeking a deal worth $9-10MM from the Bucks.
The success of the past two seasons gave Bulls GM Gar Forman and vice president John Paxson leeway as the team regressed the summer in the wake of Derrick Rose's injury, but the executives will ultimately be judged by whether they find another star to complement their former MVP point guard, David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune believes.
In the same piece, Haugh notes that Forman doesn't anticipate losing Taj Gibson in restricted free agency if the Bulls don't sign him to an extension before tomorrow's 11pm Central time deadline.
Despite last season's success, few pundits are predicting another step forward for the Pacers, who are still approaching this year with the mentality of an underdog, writes Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star.
Anderson Varejao's name has come up in several trade rumors over the past several months, but Zach Lowe of Grantland.com opines that he's just the sort of players the Cavs should want around their younger guys (Twitter link).
Cavs owner Dan Gilbert regrets guaranteeing his team would win a championship before LeBron James, as Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal notes (Sulia link).

When Non-Guaranteed Deals Become Guaranteed

October 30th, 2012 at 4:19pm CST by Luke Adams

With the dust having settled on preseason cuts, NBA teams have eliminated most players on summer contracts and non-guaranteed deals from their rosters. However, there are still plenty of players on non-guaranteed contracts who made their respective teams' regular season rosters. Does that means their contracts are now guaranteed for the season? Well, in most cases, no.

In order for most non-guaranteed contracts to become fully guaranteed for the season, the player must remain on an NBA roster until January 10th. If the player's contract doesn't clear waivers on or before the 10th, his full salary will become guaranteed for the season. Until that date, he'll receive either a prorated portion of his salary, or some other previously-agreed-upon set amount.

However, there are a handful of players whose contracts will become guaranteed before that January 10th date. E'Twaun Moore's minimum-salary deal with the Magic, for instance, stipulates that his contract will become guaranteed if he's not waived by October 30th, which means he looks to be pretty safe.

Per Mark Deeks of ShamSports, here are the other players on non-guaranteed contracts who will see their deals become fully guaranteed prior to January 10th:

Julyan Stone (Nuggets): October 31st*
DeJuan Blair (Spurs): November 1st
P.J. Tucker (Suns): December 1st*
Cory Higgins (Bobcats): December 10th
Nate Robinson (Bulls): January 1st

Notes: Stone's contract becomes guaranteed if he's not waived by "opening night," which is assumed to be the Nuggets' opening night, rather than the NBA's opening night. Tucker's guarantee increases to $400K as of opening night before becoming fully guaranteed on December 1st.

Odds & Ends: Harden, Gay, Wolves, Mavs, Gibson

October 30th, 2012 at 3:05pm CST by Luke Adams

We're a few days removed from the Rockets' acquisition of James Harden, but that doesn't mean that reaction pieces or additional details have stopped rolling in. Today, Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel wonders if the Thunder got as much for Harden as the Magic did for Dwight Howard, and DeMar DeRozan talks to Eric Koreen of the National Post about how he, Harden, and other members of the 2009 draft class approach their contract situations. Meanwhile, Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game hears from one GM that Sam Presti didn't canvass the entire league for the best deal for Harden, presumably since Presti didn't want to create an avalanche of rumors (Twitter link). And finally, Bill Simmons of Grantland adds that Harden and his agent were seeking a 15% trade kicker as part of extension talks with the Thunder.

Now that we've rounded up today's Harden-related links, let's turn to the afternoon's non-Harden notes:

Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld examines a few players who could be trade candidates between now and the deadline, including Rudy Gay, who Kennedy says would be open to a move.
The Timberwolves have inquired on the recently-waived JaJuan Johnson, but don't figure to be a match, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star Telegram spoke to Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson about a number of topics, including the team's chemistry with so many new players on board.
Extension talks between Taj Gibson and the Bulls are ongoing and are expected to push up against tomorrow's 11:00pm CT deadline, says Ken Berger of CBS Sports (Twitter links).
Scottie Pippen is interesting in eventually becoming a head coach in the NBA, as he told The Waddle & Silvy Show on ESPN 1000 in Chicago (ESPNChicago.com has the details and quotes).
Mark Deeks of ShamSports tweets the details on a pair of contract buyouts: Jordan Williams will receive $420K from Atlanta after being waived by the Hawks, while Keyon Dooling will receive $400K from the Celtics following his retirement.
Dionte Christmas, who was released by the Celtics this month, appears headed for CSKA Moscow, according to Eurohoops.net (hat tip to Sportando).
A Spurs' second-round pick in 2009, Jack McClinton is hoping to earn a spot in the D-League this year and eventually receive an NBA call-up, writes David Pick at Eurobasket.com.

Bulls Pick Up Option On Jimmy Butler

October 30th, 2012 at 12:37pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls have officially exercised their 2013/14 option on Jimmy Butler, according to a team release. The move will keep Butler under contract for his third season at $1.11MM.

In addition to their 2013/14 option on Butler, the Bulls hold an additional team option on the 23-year-old for 2014/15, worth about $2.01MM. Assuming the team exercises that option next summer, Butler will be eligible for an extension in the summer of '14, or restricted free agency in the summer of '15.

With Butler's option having been formally exercised, we're still waiting on option decisions on less than 10 players. Follow all the decisions using Hoops Rumors' rookie contract option tracker.

Kyler On Harden, Jennings, Holiday, Rockets

October 30th, 2012 at 10:50am CST by Luke Adams

Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld shared a few updates on extension-eligible players in his NBA AM column this morning, and also tweeted a few notes about the Rockets' options in free agency next summer. Let's dive right in and round up the highlights….

James Harden and the Rockets will almost certainly reach an agreement on a five-year extension today or tomorrow. It's just a matter of whether it will be for the true max or slightly below that.
If Tyreke Evans, who won't be extended this week, struggles early in the season, he could become a trade candidate for the Kings.
According to Kyler, Brandon Jennings' camp is seeking an extension worth $9-10MM annually, which the Bucks aren't interested in. Those numbers are a little surprising to me — I'd think the Bucks wouldn't mind a deal in that neighborhood, while Jennings would be seeking something closer to the max.
The Sixers and Jrue Holiday don't appear headed for an extension this week. Kyler says Philadelphia's offer was worth about $8-9MM annually.
The "broad strokes" are there for an agreement between Ty Lawson and the Nuggets. Now it's just a matter of working out the final value of the contract.
The odds of Taj Gibson and the Bulls reaching an extension agreement today or tomorrow are about 50/50 at best.
The Hawks have told Jeff Teague that he's still part of their long-term plans, but the team wants to maintain flexibility next summer, so he won't be extended now. The Bobcats have a similar stance with Gerald Henderson and Byron Mullens.
In a series of tweets, Kyler says the Rockets are unlikely to be serious players for Josh Smith in free agency next summer, unless they trade for him. The fifth year that the team holding Smith's Bird Rights will be able to offer could be a dealbreaker, according to Kyler, who adds that the forward appears happy with the Hawks for now.
Kyler expects the Rockets to take a similar approach to what they did this past offseason, pursuing restricted free agents and perhaps making a poison pill offer or two. Paul Millsap could also be a potential target, says Kyler (Twitter links).

Amick On Holiday, Curry, Evans, Jennings, Gibson

October 30th, 2012 at 8:38am CST by Luke Adams

Tomorrow is the last day for fourth-year players eligible for extensions to finalize new deals with their respective teams, and we're expecting at least a couple players to be extended. James Harden appears to be a lock, and Ty Lawson is making progress on an extension with the Nuggets. Will any other extension-eligible players sign new contracts? Former SI.com scribe Sam Amick weighs in for his new outlet, USA Today:

Unlike Lawson, Jrue Holiday doesn't seem to be moving any closer to a deal with his team, the Sixers, as agent Tony Dutt explains: "We've had conversations, but I don't feel like any progress has been made. We haven't talked in a while."
A gap remains in talks between the Warriors and Stephen Curry. Given Curry's ankle issues, he likely hasn't done enough this preseason to prove he's worthy of a significant long-term commitment.
Tyreke Evans remains unlikely to be extended by the Kings, as team president Geoff Petrie indicated earlier this month: "In Tyreke's case, you can make X (amount of money) now, but if you want to make X-plus, then certain things have to happen."
A source close to Brandon Jennings says an extension isn't likely for the Bucks guard, but cautioned that anything could happen.
Taj Gibson's agent continues to negotiate with the Bulls on a new deal for his client.

Mavericks Waive Delonte West

October 29th, 2012 at 3:49pm CST by Luke Adams

3:49pm: Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets that there will be interest in West from NBA clubs, but that the ex-Mav figures to wait on teams to develop needs early in the season in order to find the best fit.

3:17pm: The Mavericks have officially waived Delonte West, according to a press release from the team. The move reduces the team to 15 players in advance of today's roster deadline.

West was re-signed by the Mavs this summer on a one-year, minimum-salary contract, but fell out of favor with the club over the last few weeks. He was recently suspended a second time this month for conduct detrimental to the team. Even though the 29-year-old's contract was guaranteed, the club decided to carry Eddy Curry as its 15th man rather than West.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter), the Mavs were unable to negotiate a buyout with West, meaning the veteran guard will still be paid in full and Dallas will take a small cap hit for his minimum salary. The only way the Mavs could get off the hook for his salary is if one of the league's 29 other teams decided to claim him on waivers this week.

K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune speculates (via Twitter) that the Bulls, who had interest before, could kick the tires again if West clears waivers. Chicago will be eligible to sign a minimum-salary player later in November.